Taylor Swift's crew has upset conservationists in New Zealand during the filming of a video. Photo: Taylor Swift Vevo

Her production company's permit allowed two vehicles on the beach but Twitter pics showed many more trucks on the sand. Locals were concerned about the impact the huge crew was having on endangered dotterels, which nest at the beach.

Screen Auckland manager Michael Brook confirmed Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) had issued a permit to Swift's production team to film at Bethells Beach on 23 November, from 9am to 7pm.

ATEED said they did not have power to take any punitive action against production companies that breached their permits, however they won't "shake it off".

An ATEED spokesman said they "work with companies to either stop the breach occurring any further, or ensure production companies are more closely managed in future", .

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The permit set down conditions limiting beach access to two vehicles, restricting vehicles to hard sand, and forbidding access to the fore-dune area.

The crew was also asked by ATEED's Screen Auckland team to "please stay alert for baby dotterels…feeding near the water with their parents".

Sandra Coney, who chairs the Waitakere Ranges Local Board, is appalled - and believes Swift broke the terms of her filming permit.

"Taylor Swift filming at Bethells this week. Permission was given for I think 2 vehicles, instead there were about a dozen. Parks not happy at all," Coney wrote on Facebook.

"We are trying to minimise vehicles on beaches for good reasons but at Bethells there are baby dotterels. We have developed a dotterel management plan as there is a heap of filming out there, and we welcome it as economic activity that should leave no footprint, but Taylor's lot did not respect the environment or the conditions of their consent."

A DJ at Auckland's bFM, Gin Hilligan, was similarly unimpressed.

"Dear those amongst the production crew who knew the limits of the consent but decided to ignore them, May a giant bird s*** on each of your heads every day until you are so covered in sticky mess that you can't function physically as a human being," he wrote on Facebook.

"F*** off and stop using our west to inflate your egos."

Others suggested Swift should make a donation to the dotterel breeding plan.

Bethells Beach Cottages owner Trudie Bethell said Swift and her film crew were only a minor concern to the dotterel species.

"They are a pretty wonderful species on the beach, and generally I think there's too many people with their dogs on the beach.

"The filming - that's a minor part of what's an every day issue."

The Department of Conservation's website appeared to be down overnight, potentially thanks to Swift fans looking up the dotterel.

Up to 2000 northern dotterels remain, with conservationists working to bolster the bird's population through breeding programmes.

Swift was in Queenstown and could not be reached for comment and is reportedly due to fly to Australia on Thursday.